Suit filed to recover ethics fine

Wednesday, Aug. 4, 1999 | 10:43 a.m.

A man who was fined $5,000 by the state Ethics Commission for his alleged involvement in the filing of a false ethics complaint in a 1996 Clark County Commission race has filed a lawsuit to recover the funds.

Steven E. Smith filed the action Tuesday against Shaughn Daily, who admitted he used the fictitious name of Helena Lockridge to mail the complaint about then-County Commissioner Paul Christensen.

Christensen was being challenged in the primary election by Brooks Compton -- Smith's stepson -- who lost. Christensen went on to lose in the general election.

The Ethics Commission concluded in 1998 that Compton, his mother, Shari Compton, and Smith conspired with Daily to file the frivolous and false complaint and fined the Comptons and Smith $5,000 each. Daily was fined $2,500.

In Tuesday's lawsuit that he filed himself, Smith is seeking reimbursement for his fine and an order that Daily purchase half-page newspaper ads in the Las Vegas Sun and the Las Vegas Review-Journal apologizing for implicating Smith.

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